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Fact check: How did the number of ICE arrests change during the Biden administration compared to Trump and Obama?
Executive Summary
The available analyses show that ICE arrests and detentions fluctuated significantly across the Trump and Biden administrations, with reporting emphasizing a sharp rise in detentions of people without criminal records during and after the Trump years and continuing high levels into the Biden period. Publicly available summaries note large overall arrest and detention counts for FY2024 under ICE, while separate contemporaneous accounts report increases in monthly arrests and an expanding ICE population; these accounts together depict no simple linear decline or rise tied strictly to presidential administrations [1] [2] [3] [4]. The data presented in these analyses require careful parsing to compare administrations directly.
1. Why headlines focused on “no criminal record” detainees and what that shows
Multiple analyses spotlight a dramatic increase in the share and absolute count of people detained without criminal convictions, arguing this runs counter to official claims of prioritizing criminal threats. One piece quantifies an enormous percentage jump and gives a snapshot count of detainees with no criminal history, framing the trend as a departure from enforcement priorities [1] [3]. This emphasis indicates a shift in ICE operational outcomes: arrests increasingly include those with misdemeanor or no convictions, which analysts interpret as a policy or enforcement-practice change. These figures are central to debates about ICE’s targeting and resource allocation [1].
2. What ICE’s FY2024 report confirms — large volume but fewer comparison details
ICE’s FY2024 summary confirms high absolute arrest totals — cited figures include over 113,000 administrative arrests and more than 33,000 at-large arrests — demonstrating sustained enforcement activity in the most recent fiscal year reported [2]. That report, however, does not supply a direct administration-to-administration comparative table within the provided analyses, leaving analysts to infer trends from separate journalistic counts and government filings. The ICE report thus establishes context for recent enforcement scale without offering the precise cross-administration breakdown readers often seek for direct comparison [2].
3. How monthly arrest counts and operational targets changed during 2025
Independent counts in the analyses describe monthly increases in arrests during 2025, with reported climbs from roughly 18,000 in April to over 31,000 in June, and commentary on missed daily arrest targets — indicating intensified enforcement tempo under the post-2024 administration months covered [4]. Those operational snapshots suggest short-term surges that may not align neatly with longer-term annualized totals from prior administrations. Analysts point out the ICE population rising by nearly 50% since January in one account, reinforcing that detention expansion occurred alongside increased arrest activity [5].
4. Obama-era baselines and how they complicate comparisons
One analysis recalls that during Barack Obama’s two terms, deportations cumulated to about three million removals, setting a high historical baseline against which subsequent administrations are measured [5]. This long-term perspective complicates simple comparisons because Obama-era totals reflect sustained multi-year operations and different policy frameworks, while the more recent increases or spikes are shorter-term and often tied to distinct executive actions, staffing, and border dynamics. Any administration-to-administration comparison therefore must account for differing timeframes and operational contexts [5].
5. Administrative backlogs, resource constraints, and what they imply
The Federal Register and related summaries cited in the analyses highlight a large non-detained docket and strain on ICE resources, noting over 1.5 million on the non-detained docket and calls for increased ERO staffing to manage cases [6]. This institutional pressure affects arrest and detention patterns: backlog growth can push agencies to prioritize certain cases differently, influence at-large enforcement, and change detention population composition. Analysts argue such systemic factors — not only presidential directives — shape arrest counts and who ends up detained [6].
6. Competing narratives and potential agendas in the reporting
Reporting that emphasizes spikes in non-criminal detainees often aims to challenge claims of criminal-focused enforcement, while government reports stress raw enforcement volumes and operational needs; both narratives serve distinct policy arguments. Critics use the no-criminal-record statistics to argue for reform, whereas enforcement-oriented accounts cite rising arrest totals to justify expanded resources and stricter measures [1] [2] [7]. Recognizing these agendas is essential: the same underlying numbers are deployed to support divergent policy prescriptions and public messaging.
7. Bottom line: what the combined evidence supports and what remains unclear
Taken together, the analyses demonstrate sustained high levels of ICE arrests and a notable increase in detainees without criminal records in recent years, with monthly surges and an expanded ICE population cited across pieces. However, the provided materials do not deliver a neat, fully normalized comparison of total ICE arrests across the full Biden, Trump, and Obama terms using identical metrics and timeframes, leaving definitive quantitative ranking unresolved. For a final, apples-to-apples comparison, one needs comprehensive annualized ICE data broken down by conviction status and normalized for time in office and enforcement posture [1] [2] [5].